The need for a new attention to the health of the planet and for education in respect for the environment have grown so much in recent years that they have become a fashionable item. And the world of design, always attentive to new trends, was certainly among the first to take up the challenge of producing ecological objects.
On the other hand, design was born exactly for this reason: to create objects and furnishings for the home that were beautiful, practical, innovative, within everyone’s reach and able to simplify people’s lives. To these fundamental elements is added, today, the green requirement.
A piece of furniture , to be ecological, must be produced with low environmental impact methods, be composed of recycled and recyclable materials and be free from any treatment that may be toxic to people and the environment.
The ecological design is constantly evolving, but the production costs unfortunately still do not allow to make these products accessible to the general public. Eco-design, for now, is known by experts and enthusiasts of the sector, and is a real protagonist when it comes to fairs and events related to furniture and design.
One of the eco-sustainable furnishing trends within everyone’s reach is certainly the recycling of furniture and objects that are no longer in use or destined for landfills. If you have creativityand a little manual skills it is possible to create unique and original objects .
In Paris, for example, it is common practice to leave furniture items that are no longer needed on the street, so that others can pick them up and reuse them. Even in Italy the habit of exchanging furniture slowly begins to spread , thanks also to the use of the Internet, where it is now possible to both find a home and buy furniture.
An example can be that of the grandmother’s bedside table , sanded and painted with non-toxic paint, it can become a beautiful cabinet for the bathroom or children’s room.
Even items like an old colander or oneparticular bottle can be cleaned, decorated and transformed into original lamp holders or knick-knacks.
If you don’t know where to start, there are many books on the subject that can help us by giving us important information on materials and methods . Then all that remains is to go to markets or to the attic and find forgotten treasures to bring back to life.
The “do it yourself”, according to the estimates of the Casa.it Observatory, is increasingly practiced by Italians. Certainly the economic difficulties brought about by the crisis of recent years have played a central role in this choice, but saving is certainly not the only reason. At the base there is also a return to the pleasure of taking care of one’s home firsthand , manufacturing furniture and decorations with one’s own hands, regaining the manual skills that we have abandoned in the name of practicality.
Adopting an ecological behavior at home also means not throwing away things that could still be useful. For example, the old carpet could be useful for the house cat to get his nails done, while the armchairthat we no longer like can become the new presidential dog bed . Source:
